The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-04-06
Human Voices Boxed UP.


have some startling news for short
hand writer's, writes the Washington
correspondent of the Cleveland Lcader.
1t is concerning q wonderful little in
strument called the graphophone,
which its overs claim will entirely do
away with stenographers and steno-
graphic work. A practical test has
been made of its reporting at mechan-
ical laboratory here and it has been
found successful. 1t is the invention
of Mr.. Sumner Tainton, Professor
Alexander Graham Bell. the inventor
of the Bell telephone, and DR.. Chiches-
ter A. Bell, an eminent chemist. The
machine is operated on the principle of
the photograph. 1t is very simple and
free from mechanical complication. 1t
has treadle and looks very much like
n small sewing machine.
Edison discovered the art of record.
ing and reproducing sound, but the in
vention could not be used because of its
clumsy mechanical arrangement,
coupled with very inferior and unsats-
factory methods of recording the
sounds produced. He used piece of
tin foil upon which the sound wa YES
were indented and from which they
were easily obljterated.
The present inventor, Mr.. Taintor,
saw that q less destructive material
was required, and after considerable
experiment tried Il preparation of wax
and parafinc, This is the surface now
used, and it works perfectly. He then
made an entirely new apparatus, and the
result is the graphophone, machine
which will sing song, report whistle,
or give the quality and infections of the
voice in most charming way. The
small point which is attached to the
diaphragm of the machine cuts a minute
hair line in the wax surface. This line
is so faint that it is scarcely percepti-
BILE to the naked eye, yet it serves to
give reproduction, so as to be dis
tinctly heard by the listener. of song,
laugh, or ordinary speech.
A fine test was lately made of the
powers of this machine. Two gentle
men, one acting as lawyer and the
other as a witness, utilized the graphic
phone for taking testimony, These
gentlemen spoke in ordinary tones
in the machine one asking a question
and the other answering il. A dozen
questions and answers were givin.
Then lady who had not heard what
either party had said, came into the
room and took testimony from the
graphophone and wrote it out. The
experiment was complete success,
and no errors were made. Among the
gentlemen mentioned above as being
present are some of the leading steno-
graphers of the country. These men
were enthusiastic over the result
They said:
1--WE can use the machines and do |
away with amanuenses, and these |
machines mean a revolution in aman- |
uensis work. A man can employ at
$40 month a young man or woman
and. by the aid of a graphophone.
have all the benefits of the very best
A stenographer would
have cost him from $1,000 to 1000
year, and this machine will take down
his words more accurately and in such
n way that the record can be repro
duced from 400 to 500 times without
injuring the original"
This machine will be of great adj
vantage to the newspaper correspon-
dents. and especially to such corre-
spondents as can dictate their letters.
When it is purchasablc the corre-
spondent can talk his letter into the
and can take il out printed
On little hollow wax cylinder. This
he can send to his Office in pill-box
through the mails for the expense Of a
iwo-cent postage stamp. and in the
office it can be ground into the prin-
ier's ears. II he wishes to revise his
natter he can have it copied out Oh